Home Help: Re-gifting nostalgia

Click inside for the weekly home help with items on affordable and nostalgic gifts, removing stubborn wallpaper, alternative Christmas trees and more. Or check out these links:

Staff reports

The overwhelming task of buying gifts for everyone in the family can make you feel like it's all about what's under the tree. This year, take a few moments to plan out your gift list based on memories that each person has given you, and give one right back.

Use these ideas as inspiration for holiday gifts with a hint of nostalgia:

Smell is the sense that is most closely tied to memories. Whether it's the smell of freshly baked cookies that takes you back or the spicy fragrance of cinnamon, bringing back those memories can be as simple as lighting scented candles. Think Balsam & Cedar, Christmas Cookie or Winter Wonderland. Whether you light them in your own home or give them as presents, candles are a great way to inspire memories.
Gathering together to watch holiday movies is a cozy and festive way to celebrate the season, but the true holiday classics aren't played in theaters. Give a bundle of holiday movie DVDs that have stood the test of time. You'll bring back memories of past holiday movie get-togethers as well as passing on the tradition to the next generation.
Photos are one of the best ways to take a quick glimpse into the past. With digital photography's rise in popularity, the old photo prints of the past often languish in a closet, mostly forgotten. Give them new life by creating a scrapbook of holiday memories, incorporating old photos, holiday cards and letters. If your gift recipient is the crafty type, simply gather all the elements together in a kit and let her create a scrapbook that will be exactly what she wants.
Everyone treasures the house they grew up in, even long after they've moved away. To bring back the memories of growing up and holidays spent in your first home, commission a portrait of your family’s house. It can be created from old photographs, and it makes a wonderful gift for siblings and parents. It'll be the perfect conversation piece at your holiday celebration.

-- ARA

Decorating Tip: Accentuating with metallics

Metallic accents can spruce up an otherwise neutral color scheme. Choose from gold, silver, bronze or nickel, but use them sparingly for a dramatic effect. Keep a wreath relevant all winter by spraying it with gold or silver spray paint. Or install bronze or nickel hardware on your cabinets.

-- HGTV.com

Home-Selling Tip: Refrigerator clean up

The kitchen is a big selling point to homebuyers, and the refrigerator is the focal point of the kitchen. Clean it from top to bottom, on the inside and outside. Clear out old food and jars, remove magnets or photos and kill off any odors. Make it blend in with the kitchen and, if necessary, consider purchasing a new one.

-- EnergizedSeller.com

How To: Remove stubborn wallpaper

Lay a drop cloth on the ground and mix wallpaper remover with hot water per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Repeatedly pierce the wallpaper with a perforated tool so the solution sinks into the glue.
Spray, paint or roll the solution onto the wallpaper and let it soak per instructions.
After soaking, use a 6-inch wallboard knife to gently peel away all the paper. Be careful not to damage the plaster or wallboard.

-- HomeDepot.com

Did You Know …

According to the National Association of Realtors, the largest obstacles to the housing market recovery does not include the recent rise in interest rates, which are at 4.2 percent on average and expected to reach 5.4 percent by the end of 2011, but job creation and the availability of credit.

Home Improvements: Topiary Christmas trees

Consider using topiary trees in lieu of the giant Christmas tree this year. They are perfect for smaller spaces and easier for kids to decorate. You can set a small one on the table or display three or four throughout the house.

-- HomeDecorators.com

Money-saving Tip: Healthy and frugal resolutions

During the holiday season is when most people start to think about New Year resolution goals for next year, or the ones that they didn’t see through this year.

When you’re making that list, think of resolutions that can help save money, too. For example, you can quit smoking, avoid tanning beds, drive safely to avoid tickets and stop overeating. All of these resolutions are great for both your health and your wallet.

You can also make a resolution to save for retirement, use coupons, live within your means and cut down on wasteful spending.

-- SavingAdvice.com

Backyard Buddies: Cats drink smarter than dogs

It may appear that cats and dogs will drink from a puddle of water in much the same manner, but researchers from MIT published a study that found different results.

As expected, researchers found that dogs drink water by creating a ‘spoon’ with their tongues and ladling water into their mouths. Cats, on the other hand, have a process that is more complex.

Relying on a system of gravity and inertia, cats dip the tip of their tongues into the water and then quickly pull back, sending a stream of water into the air and catching it. The streams of water can reach 78 centimeters per second, allowing cats to bypass the use of suction or scoops.